Piperella
by Tawnyfur
Summary: **Now complete** What happens when Cinderella meets Storm Hawks? Read to find out! R&R!
1. Casting

**Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks actual characters, plotline, settings, or any related content. Not saying that again.**

**Okay, this has been sitting on my mind for awhile now. As the name suggests, this will be a Storm Hawks-Cinderella cross. I'll try not to, but I might let some people slip out of character here and there, so be warned. **

**Cast List**

**Piper **as **Piperella **(Variation of Cinderella; sue me)

**Dark Ace **as **Evil Stepfather **(Instead of Evil Stepmother)

**Ravess **as **Anastasia **(Eldest evil stepsister)

**Cyclonis **as **Drizella **(I dropped the 'Master' for this story)

**Aerrow **as **Top Sky Knight **(What? It's an Atmosian story)

**Finn **as **TSK's Friend**

**Junko **as **TSK's Friend**

**Radarr **as **TSK's Friend **(Sorry, needed an acronym)

**Stork **as **The Merbian Godfather **(Yes, you read that correctly)

Do these roles intrigue you? Does this story catch your eye? If you would like me to continue this story, please review, PM me, or go vote in my poll! I'll post up the next chapter if I get five positive answers. Go!


	2. Once Upon a Time

**Thank you to all of those who reviewed, PMed me, and went to the poll! Since I have gotten over 5 positive answers, here is the first chapter for your enjoyment!**

**Once Upon a Time . . .**

. . . in a kingdom called Atmos, there was a woman who's husband became very ill. The married couple had a single daughter named Piperella, who was very kind and beautiful. She had dark brown skin with orange eyes and midnight blue hair. She sobbed by her father's bedside as he slowly but surely died.

"Dearest daughter," the sick man said faintly, "When I am dead, plant this crystal in my grave. If you are ever in need of something, dig up the crystal and wish for it. Remember my words and always be kind to the world." The man held out an emerald green crystal that his daughter took from his shaking hands. With that, Piperella's father left the living world.

The sweet girl wept over her father's grave as she nestled the green crystal in the soils of his resting place. Two years after her husband's death, the sad girl's mother remarried to a very kind and gentle man . . . so she thought.

When the wedding ceremony was complete, the man took out his red energy sword and killed his new wife, leaving her dead at his feet. The man had raven-black hair, evil red eyes, and a name to match his heart: the Dark Ace. He also had two daughters, named Cyclonis and Ravess.

Piperella's new stepfather took her to his great mansion in Cyclonia. The Dark Ace and his two daughters forced Piperella to do all of the hard work. Piperella was up before sunrise everyday. She had to replace the furnace crystals, cook the meals, clean the floors, scrub the tables, and every other chore imaginable.

Back in Atmos, the latest class of Sky Knights had recently completed their training. To celebrate, the headmaster of the school decided to throw a ball in honour of the graduates. Every eligible person in all the land was invited.

The headmaster took great pride in showing off the boy who was the top of his class; Aerrow. He was very handsome, with wild red hair, dazzling emerald green eyes, and a smile that could make ladies drop dead before him. Aerrow also had extraordinary skills as a Sky Knight; he wasn't the top of his class for nothing, you know.

Every girl in the Atmos wanted to dance with Aerrow so badly at the ball. There was a rumour going around that he would propose to whichever lady caught his fancy. Of course, idle gossip isn't always dependable, but everyone in the land believed this particular tidbit.

In Piperella's household, Cyclonis and Ravess were also preparing for the ball. Their father, who was such a sucker for puppy dog eyes, had given them his permission to attend the ball. The two sisters were constantly pestering Piperella, ordering her to fix their dresses, find their jewelry, shine their shoes, and just about everything else to get ready for the ball.

"Wouldn't you like to go to the ball?" Ravess asked innocently. A knowing smirk was on her face as Piperella dug in the jewelry box for some necklace of her stepsister's.

The kind working girl said in her melodious voice, "Oh, yes, I would. The ball sounds so wonderful." Before returning to her searching.

Cyclonis laughed in a very harpy-ish way at her stepsister's wish. "Fat chance! No one would want to see _you_ at the Sky Knights' Ball! Only pretty girls like Ravess and I are invited."

Cyclonis's words were not entirely true, for Piperella was indeed invited. The letter that had been delivered to the house had stated that every single person in the lands should be in attendance. Piperella had asked the Dark Ace if she could go as well, and he had said she could. But she had a few problems.

First of all, she had absolutely nothing to wear on such a fancy occasion! When her stepsisters had first met her, they had gone through all of her clothes and taken whatever was even remotely nice for themselves, even if they didn't like it. All poor Piperella had to wear were her few tattered old dresses and soup-stained shoes.

Secondly, Piperella's stepfather had told her that there was a catch. If she wanted to go to the ball, she had to finish all of the work that had to be done on the day of the grand event. The Dark Ace knew that this would be close to impossible, since Piperella could barely complete all of her chores on a normal day. On a day where she had to spruce herself and her stepsisters up, Piperella would be lucky to do a quarter of her chores.

Finally, she had no idea how she would get there. Piperella was sure that her stepsisters would never ride with her on the same ship to something like the Sky Knights' Ball. She was also aware that it wouldn't be fit to merely fly her heli-scooter to such an event. The oil and grease from her ride would ruin her dress.

Piperella knew that this wasn't going to be easy.

Eventually, the night of the ball loomed upon Atmos and Cyclonia. The women from each of the kingdoms flocked to the Sky Knight Academy in droves, wearing the most beautiful dresses anyone had ever seen before. They all wanted to be the most gorgeous, so that Aerrow would ask them to dance.

Cyclonis and Ravess were getting last second check-ups on their appearances, making Piperella snip little threads here and there, adjust their many jewels, and basically just tire herself out. When their stepsister had fixed them to their satisfaction, the two sisters strode out of the mansion, followed by their father. Before he went out into the night, the Dark Ace turned to face his stepdaughter, who was washing the floor.

"Not coming with us, Piperella?" he asked mockingly, knowing the answer even before she shook her head sadly. Her stepfather merely cackled evilly, before he left the house and closed the door behind him, leaving Piperella to her scrubbing.

**I'll only post the next chapter after I get five reviews for this one! So go!**


	3. A Little Help

**Once again, thank you to all of the reviewers! You guys must like this story if I'm posting two chapters in one day! This chapter is dedicated to Magus732 for helping with a certain character. This one's for you!**

**A Little Help**

As the door slammed shut in the evil trio's wake, Piperella immediately dropped her cleaning brush and cried. She wanted to see the Sky Knight Aerrow so badly. The beautiful girl thought that she was too lowly for someone so grand and handsome as Aerrow to ask her to dance, but she wanted to gaze upon his face anyway.

Piperella suddenly remembered her father's final words and the crystal in his grave. Running out of the mansion, Piperella raced to her heli-scooter, snatching up her emergency bag of crystals as she left, just in case. She kicked her ride into gear and set off to her old terra, where her father was buried.

Piperella thrust her hands into the soil of the grave when she got to it, groping around. Finally, her dark hands felt something angular and sharp. Piperella withdrew her hands from the ground to reveal the emerald green crystal she had buried there all those years before.

Piperella clasped her hands over the crystal and squeezed her orange eyes shut. Being such a humble girl, she wished to have help in her task of attending the ball. She could have asked for everything she needed, but Piperella didn't want to be a bother to whoever it was that she was requesting something of.

"What are you doing down there?" an edgy male voice demanded. The sound startled Piperella out of her wishing. The girl looked up curiously to see a green man with a twitchy eye and black hair hanging over his face. He held a shiny blue crystal that twinkled in the light of the stars.

"That soil must be crawling with diseases!" the green man exclaimed, gesturing to the mound of dirt. "Get up so I can speak with you!" Slightly confused, Piperella did as he commanded.

"I heard your wish," the man continued. "If it's help you want, it's help you'll get. You are meant to go to the Sky Knights' Ball. So, what do you need?"

"Umm . . . " Piperella started uncomfortably, rubbing her arm. "Excuse my rudeness, but who are you?"

"I am your Merbian Godfather," the green man said flatly without any extravagance. "Now do you know what you want, because I don't have all night, you know."

"Oh, I am so sorry!" Piperella exclaimed. "Well, if you don't mind, could you complete all of the housework I have to do, please?"

"Hmm . . . alright, gimme a second," the merb muttered, twirling the blue crystal around in his hands. Piperella could hear a loud bang coming from a few terras over. She saw a flash of aqua light where her stepfather's mansion was.

"There, done," the Merbian Godfather said proudly. "Anything else?"

"Well, I would love a good dress and some dancing shoes for the ball, dear Godfather," Piperella said sweetly. She closed her eyes in anticipation, waiting for something wonderful.

The kind girl was not disappointed. When her Godfather said to, Piperella lifted her eyelids to see a beautiful flowing gown with thin straps upon her figure that was a soft orange, perfectly matching her eyes. Around Piperella's neck was a strip of black silk. A light blue crystal dangled from the piece of fabric. Lifting up the hem of her dress, Piperella expectantly gazed down at her feet, thinking of the fabulous shoes that were sure to be there. Piperella was quite shocked to see black, steel-toed boots upon her feet.

"What are these?" Piperella asked, slightly miffed at the footwear.

"A precautiuon among others," her Merbian Godfather replied. "That is an anti-mindworm necklace, a ten-degree burn resistant dress, and boots heavy enough to keep you stable during an earthquake. Plus, for all you know, you'll get stuck with some clumsy dance partner. Your toes would be crushed and stepped upon if you didn't wear those boots. Believe me, you'll thank me later. Anyway, I know you need a ride. I have just the ship for you."

The Merbian Godfather shook his crystal, murmuring words at it. Out of nowhere, a large carrier ship collapsed onto the terra as it ended its plummet from the sky. A piece of metal flew off from the side of it, crashing into a grove of trees and knocking them all down.

Piperella stared in disbelief. "That?" she asked incredulously. "THAT is what I'll be riding in to the Sky Knights' Ball?

"What?" her Merbian Godfather said, appalled. "No way! That is MUCH too unstable for such an event. Nope, I'll need to fix this ship up for it to fly. Now, do you have any crystals?"

Remembering her sack, Piperella nodded and raced back to her heli-scooter. She snagged her crystal bag in one hand and returned to the merb, presenting the pouch to him.

The Merbian Godfather accepted the sack and stuck his hand in it, rummaging around for something. His yellow eyes lighted up as his fingers closed upon what he wanted. The merb then brought his hands out of the crystal bag with four orange crystals. He held the quartet of new crystals against his blue one, whispering to them. Suddenly, the orange crystals transformed into four young men, equipped with brushes and soap.

When the Merbian Godfather barked orders at them, the boys ran over to the ship and immediately began to scrub with the greatest of ease. They leapt up the sides of the ship and polished every surface of it, whipping through their job in a quick five minutes. While washing it, the men also adjusted scraps of metal here and there.

Piperella gasped with amazement when the workers stepped aside to reveal the ship once more. It was sparkling with cleanliness, and not a piece of it was out of place. Piperella noticed the word _Condor_ written across its side that had recently been caked with grime.

"It's beautiful!" Piperella cried. "Thank you for everything, Merbian Godfather!" She hugged said merb, who cringed slightly at her touch.

"You're very welcome, Piperella," the merb said, attempting to free himself from the girl's grasp."Now get off of me! Do you KNOW how many diseases are transmitted by touch?!"

"Sorry," Piperella apologized, stepping away from the merb. "Who will drive this ship? One of those men?" She pointed to the workers, who looked slightly confused since their job was done.

"No way!" the Merbian Godfather exclaimed. "I'm the only one skilled enough to fly the _Condor!"_ The merb stepped up the side ramp and onto the bridge, quickly followed by Piperella. "Those guys will be the foot men." Said men sprinted onto the ship, closing the hatch behind them.

In the middle of the bridge, there was a grand chair with dark red upholstery and a gold frame with a large ruby set into the top of it. The Merbian Godfather gestured to the throne-like thing and said, "Your seat, Piperella."

The girl happily lowered herself into the chair, bubbling with excitement at how everything was working out for her. Maybe she _was_ meant to be at this ball.

"I can't wait for this to start!" Piperella exclaimed as the _Condor _ took off and began to fly towards the Sky Knight Academy.

**Hope you enjoyed! You know the drill: five reviews next chapter. We'll see how the TSK is doing in the next installment, so press that little button and review for his sake!**


	4. The Ball Begins

**Again, many thanks to all reviewers! This chapter brings in Aerrow so you can see how he's doing. **

**The Ball Begins**

"I can't wait for this to end!" Aerrow moaned as he flung himself into a chair. He was wearing a black tux with a bowtie at the Sky Knights' Ball and was having a very bad time indeed. Every single girl in the place seemed to be stalking him. He couldn't turn in any direction and not see a female of some sort, asking him for a dance.

Aerrow felt like his feet were about to come off of his ankles. He had danced so many times that night that they were throbbing with pain. The Sky Knight hadn't even liked any of the girls he had danced with. He was just too polite to say no.

"Come on, buddy!" Aerrow's friend Finn grinned, clad in a navy blue suit and bowtie. "There are lovely ladies everywhere, all clamouring for your attention, and you want this night to END?! Dude! These girls are drop dead _gorgeous_."

"But underneath, they're all shallow and superficial," Aerrow protested. "I can see it in their eyes. You shouldn't bother with any one of these girls, Finn." The Sky Knight sighed and added, "But if you must, tell them you're with me and you'll be beating the girls off with a stick."

"Sweet!" Finn cried, pumping his arm. "Thanks, dude!" With that, the blonde ran off into a group of girls, talking loudly about needing a date for a party with Aerrow. At the sound of the Sky Knight's name, all of the females turned to Finn and formed a circle around him, listening intently.

Said redhead rolled his eyes and sighed once more. He was really beginning to get ticked at the headmaster for planning this whole thing. Aerrow had been very excited the day he had officially been knighted, but his elation was quickly being squashed by the feelings of dread now engulfing him.

What was worse was that the rest of the Sky Knights in his year were annoyed at him for receiving all of the attention. When Aerrow had tried to apologize, they had merely given him the cold shoulder and continued to try and get someone to talk to them.

Aerrow growled to himself in frusturation. The two friends he had invited to keep himself company were not doing so. Finn, as already stated, was taking advantage of his friendship with Aerrow and wallowing in the girls' attention. The Sky Knight's other pal, Junko, was busy stuffing himself with all of the fancy food. Aerrow wasn't sure, but he thought that the wallop had had a dozen or so plates of chow already.

Aerrow's faithful co-pilot was at least doing his job. The furry blue creature, Radarr, sat in a chair nearby the Sky Knight, a black bow tie around his neck. He was also quite tired of the constant droves of women coming over. The animal drummed his fingers on the table impatiently whenever a lady approached them.

"Radarr, what am I going to do?" Aerrow groaned, rubbing his temples. A migraine was coming on.

Said co-pilot pointed to Aerrow, gestured to a random female, and began to twirl on the spot, flaunting an imaginary dress. He then bowed exaggeratedly and squawked grandly with a questioning look in his eyes.

"You want me to ask a girl to dance?" Aerrow inquired with disbelief. "No way, Radarr! Did you hear the rumour that's going around? They think I'm going to propose to a girl I like tonight! It'll just give them the wrong idea if I ask someone." The Sky Knight sighed for what felt the thousandth time that night. "Thanks for trying, though."

Radarr huffed at Aerrow's stubbornness. If his friend wasn't going to find a girl to dance with, then the little creature would have to do it for him. The blue co-pilot leapt out of his chair and began to stroll through the crowds, carefully examining the eyes of each girl he passed like Aerrow would. Radarr realized that the Sky Knight had been right. Every female he looked at had a very haughty look in her eye, without a trace of personality or goodness.

This was going to be harder than he had thought.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Here we are!" the Merbian Godfather exclaimed, making the _Condor _ come to a screeching hault. Piperella jerked forward slightly in her grand chair at the impact of the ship hitting the terra. The footmen approached the fancily dressed girl, helping her from her seat and escorting her out of the ship, followed closely by her Godfather.

When they were on the ground, the merb brought Piperella close and said, "Now listen to me very carefully. At exactly the stroke of midnight, we need to get out of here. You must leave at a quarter to twelve."

"Why, Merbian Godfather?" Piperella questioned, quite puzzled.

"Because those boots, that dress and this necklace are rentals and they're due back by tomorrow. They'll whisk your outfit away magically if it's not back in time, leaving you with only your rags on. Plus my crystal can only work for so long on those guys," the merb replied, pointing to the footmen.

"Okay, Merbian Godfather," Piperella nodded. "I must be off now."

"Try not to get yourself killed!" the Merbian Godfather warned her. "I'll lose my job!" The beautiful girl then headed off to the large Sky Knight Academy. Said school loomed over the terra, towering over everything.

As Piperella approached the grand building, two ushers saw her coming and their jaws dropped. Elbowing the trumpeters, who were standing by the entrance looking bored, the large men gestured to Piperella. The musicians in turn felt themselves gaping.

The headmaster of the school had placed the horn players there and had given them instructions to make with the fanfare if they saw a girl they thought to be good enough for the top knight of the class. The slightly scrawny men knew that they had found what they were looking for.

The trumpeters exchanged looks of interest. Puffing out their chests and taking deep breaths, they started the tune. You know how fanfare goes.

DUN, DUN, DUN, DUN, DUN DUN DUN!

The ushers opened the oak doors grandly, bowing deeply to Piperella as she walked through the entrance. The girl was flattered to be treated in such a way. In turn, she curtsied politely and flashed a smile of bright white teeth that nearly blinded the ushers.

When she entered the great dancing hall, Piperella felt all eyes turn to her.

**Five reviews is the ransom price for the next chapter! Review!**


	5. Meetings

**The next installment has arrived! Warning: I don't know what you think, but there might be minor-major OOCness on Aerrow's part in this chapter. Depends what your opinion of him is. Anyway, here it is!**

**Meetings**

When the fanfare began to play, Radarr swivelled his head, temporarily abandoning his search for a dance partner for Aerrow. When his eyes fell upon the graceful dark-skinned girl who had just walked through the doors, he squawked with delight. Even though he was an animal, Radarr knew beauty when he saw it.

Remembering himself, Radarr looked up to see directly into the new girl's eyes. They were a vibrant orange, filled with great intelligence and kindness. Radarr knew that she was completely unlike all of the other girls. Aerrow would like her.

Pushing through all of the jealous gaggles of girls, who were currently glaring at the new arrival, Radarr made his way back to the sulking Sky Knight, who looked ready to smash his head against something hard.

"What's up, Radarr?" Aerrow asked wearily, really not wanting to talk to anyone. "I think I'm going to ditch this party early. I'm getting really tired." His co-pilot merely cried out impatiently, tugging on the redhead's pantleg insistently.

"All right, all right, I'm coming," Aerrow grumbled, extracting himself from his chair and following Radarr's frequent yanks in the right direction. The blue creature shoved on people's ankles to make them move, leaving Aerrow to apologize for his friend's behaviour as he was tugged along.

Radarr dragged Aerrow to the centre of the hall, where he had last seen the beautiful girl. But the previously empty stretch of dance floor had been covered with a sea of many young men with admiration in their eyes.

"Radarr, what the heck is going on?" Aerrow growled irritably. All annoyance disappeared within him when a tall black-haired man moved out of the way to reveal the wonderful girl Radarr had spotted. Though the Sky Knight did not know it, the girl was Piperella.

In her layered gown of orange, Piperella looked stunning to say the least. Her silky midnight blue hair flowed down past her shoulder blades, released from her usual headband for once. The light blue crystal around her neck glinted in the chandelier light, giving her a warm glow. No one was aware of it, but the girl was also wearing the heavy, steel-toed boots her Merbian Godfather had rented.

But out of all of her wonderful features, Aerrow was hypnotized by her mesmerizing tangerine eyes. From looking into them, the redhead knew she was a bright girl with a kind heart. Her beauty was just another added bonus. So enchanted by those eyes was he that Aerrow didn't notice Finn come up behind him.

"Hey, Aerrow!" the blonde said cheerily. "You found any cute girls yet?"

But Aerrow really wasn't listening anymore. Though he didn't say a thing, Finn could tell what the answer was. He smirked mischeviously as he clapped the goggling Sky Knight on the shoulder.

"Don't worry," Finn whispered into his pal's ear. "I'll go talk to her for you."

The redhead still wasn't registering anything coming from his friend's mouth. Had he heard Finn's words, Aerrow probably would have had an expression of horror on his face. His mind was still in fantasy mode, though, so Aerrow's handsome features were encased in a dumbstruck look.

Putting on his best air of professionalism, Finn clasped his hands behind his back, held his chin up high and swaggered over to the unknowing Piperella. The girl was talking to a short guy with brown hair about something or other.

"Pardon me, sir," Finn said importantly, tapping the short man on the shoulder. "But I must speak with this fine lady." Irked to be interrupted, said man moved away from Piperella with a frown on his face.

"Hello," Piperella greeted Finn, curtseying. "Who might you be?"

"Ah, it does not matter who I am," the blonde replied mysteriously, attempting not to get lost in her eyes. They really were beautiful. "It is only important who I am relaying a message for. Over there is a redhead with his mouth open. Can't miss 'em."

Finn pointed to where he knew that Aerrow would be, still drooling slightly and paralyzed by the great beauty his eyes fell upon. Piperella gasped as she saw the Sky Knight.

"Yes, him," Finn nodded, confirming the girl's suspicions. "Since he's too shy and frozen to ask, Aerrow would like to know if you would join him for a dance."

"A- a dance?!" Piperella squeaked, too shocked to say much more. "Me? Are you sure?"

"Affirmative. Now before he creates a large puddle on the floor, let's go over there and tell Aerrow he owes you a dance," Finn lead Piperella over to the Sky Knight, who's mind was slowly taking in his surroundings.

When the fact that such a charming girl was coming over to him kicked in, Aerrow was tempted to scream at his feet and tell them to head for the hills. But Piperella was coming closer . . . a few more feet . . . _closer_ . . . just a little more . . . _closer_ . . . RUN FOR IT! . . . _she was right there._

Generally speaking, Aerrow was a very brave guy. He could fly the skies and battle Talons without a worry in the world. He could face off against all of his training masters from the academy at once without breaking a sweat. But merely being so near a living work of art made Aerrow's heart flutter to an uncomfortable speed.

"Hello," Piperella said shyly, avoiding the Sky Knight's emerald green stare. "Your friend came to talk to me."

Aerrow's mind and his tongue didn't seem to want to work together. Piperella took his breath away; literally. The redhead had to remind himself to breathe, since his lungs were quickly constricting at the thought of being close enough to the wonderful girl to touch her.

"He said that you wanted . . . " Piperella trailed off as she saw Aerrow's slightly open mouth and glazed over eyes. She waved her hand in front of his face worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Without thinking, Aerrow's hand reached out and snagged the dark brown one Piperella was moving near his eyes. Somewhere along the line, the Sky Knight had regained his composure.

"Yes, dear lady," he said grandly, sinking into a low bow as he planted a kiss on her hand. "Thank you for your concern. But enough about me; would you grace me with a dance?" Just for good measure, Aerrow flashed Piperella a dazzling smile that made the girl lightheaded.

**Sorry, sort of abrupt ending there. Will Piperella agree to dance? Find out in the next chapter, which shall be posted after I receive five more reviews! GO!**


	6. The Dance

**The Dance**

The band that had been playing the music all night long suddenly paused for a moment. After being alerted by a trumpeter, who had talked to an usher, who had heard from a man with the coats, who had been told by a waitress that Aerrow had been seen with a girl, the headmaster had gone over to the musicians. He whispered to a chelloist, who nodded her head and turned to her band and muttered something else. The music then started up again in the much slower tune of the waltz.

"Sure," Piperella said hazily as the redhead escorted her onto the dance floor that was already milling with couples. Aerrow placed his right hand on Piperella's waist, while his partner positioned her left arm to rest on his right shoulder slightly. The pair then reached their free hands out to each other and interlaced their fingers, keeping their grips tight but not painfully so. Sinking into the moment, Piperella and Aerrow gazed into each other's eyes dreamily, orange and emerald green locking together.

Radarr and Finn, who had observed the entire interaction between the two with interest, high-fived each other triumphantly. The blonde boy and the blue creature took full credit for Aerrow's perfect meeting with Piperella, and intended to tell that to anyone who would listen at the wedding that was sure to come.

Aerrow sighed as he and Piperella slowly made their way across the dance floor, careful to avoid any other dancers. But for the first time that night, the small exhale was of happiness. As Piperella felt the little breeze play across her face, she still couldn't believe her incredible luck. All she had intended to do that night was see the Sky Knight she now danced with, and that was it. But this was even more than she had anticipated. Not that she was complaining.

The time for complaining came when a slight beep protested from Piperella's wrist, rudely forcing her out of her wonderful moment and into the harsh world we call reality. She glanced at her wristwatch that showed the numbers '11:45'. Time to go.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Piperella excused herself quickly, wresting herself from Aerrow's loving grasp. "But I really must be going."

"Wait!" the Sky Knight cried as she scurried through the crowds towards the oak doors. "Come back!"

The redhead pushed desperately through the people all around him and headed to the entrance. There he saw Piperella sprinting out of the academy as fast as she could go. She didn't want to keep her Merbian Godfather waiting.

"Stupid shoes!" Piperella muttered, glaring down at her feet. Steel-toed boots are considerable weights when running. "Aerrow was a perfect dancer." Frustrated, the dark-skinned girl reached down to her left boot, yanked it off of her foot and chucked it to the side of the path. With only one shoe, Piperella hoisted up the hem of her dress and raced out of the courtyard and into the trees where she knew the _Condor_ was hidden.

The girl ran down the forest trail quickly. When she caught sight of her ride, she all but flew up the ramp, slamming the hatch behind her when she was safely in the bridge.

"Step on it, Merbian Godfather!" Piperella panted, attempting to catch her breath as she sank into her special chair. The merb, forgetting his game of solitaire, obeyed her and went to full speed. They quickly stopped at the rental shop, where they returned Piperella's orange gown and crystal necklace before zooming over to the mansion in Cyclonia.

"Sorry they're fining you for the lost boot," Piperella apologized, wearing her rags once more as her Godfather gently lowered the _Condor _onto the terra. "It was an emergency. And thanks for buying me the other one."

"Meh. No problem," the merb replied, waving his hand unaffectedly.

"Thank you for all of your help," Piperella went on, raising herself up from her throne.

"No problem," her Merbian Godfather repeated. "Now just get out of here, before your stepfamily returns."

Smiling to herself, Piperella exited the _Condor _and strode up to her mansion. She swung open the door with a creak and looked down upon the floor that she had been scrubbing before she had left. Piperella went back to doing just that, working with great happiness. It was already sparkling clean from her Merbian Godfather's magic, but she did it anyway out of boredom. The girl wondered vaguely what Aerrow was doing as she washed the grey tiles.

- - - - - - - - -

Currently, said Sky Knight was in a chair, howling with grief as he clutched Piperella's discarded steel-toed boot. Finn and Junko were standing beside him, attempting to quell their friend's sadness. Radarr sat on his shoulder, making soothing noises to pacify the Sky Knight.

Aerrow had chased Piperella out onto the entrance path, but she had been too fast for him to catch her. He had then searched the courtyard for anything that might give a hint to the girl's location. But all the redhead had found was her steel-toed boot.

"It's okay, buddy," Finn sympathized, patting Aerrow on the shoulder. "You only just met her. It's not like she was special or anything. She was just another girl."

Apparently, Finn was not very good at being comforting. Aerrow chose that moment to whirl around in his seat and glare at the blonde.

"She was not just another girl," the redhead whispered fiercely. "She was special. Though I barely even talked to her, I feel like I've known that girl for all of my life. Now I only have a single boot to remember her by." Aerrow then let out another caterwaul of pain and hid his face in his fingers, continuing to wallow in his sorrow.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Junko questioned, although he wasn't entirely sure what was going on. Finn's brief of the recent events hadn't been very clear. "Shove that boot on the foot of every girl in the Atmos?"

Though he hadn't really meant it, Junko's comment caused Aerrow's green eyes to light up. Slowly, he raised his head from his hands, a wild grin forming on his face and an idea coming together in his mind.

"Dude," Finn started disbelievingly. "Are you serious? Do you KNOW how many girls there are around here?"

"I'll find her if it kills me," Aerrow said stubbornly.

Finn sighed, running his hand through his blonde hair. "Well, if that's what you want, I guess . . . " he murmured. "Radarr and I still want props for introducing you two, though."

"AFTER we find that girl," Aerrow stated firmly.

"Who's 'we'?" Finn asked quizzically.

"That's you, Junko, Radarr, and I," Aerrow replied. He stroked Piperella's steel-toed boot, running his fingers over the leather body. The Sky Knight realized that it smelled exactly like her. The boot had an aroma of cinnamon. If the girl hadn't been decked out so grandly, Aerrow could have sworn she toiled in a kitchen.

"I take it back," Finn growled to Junko when Aerrow was out of earshot. "I don't take credit for this. I wouldn't have helped him out if I had known it would mean WORK."

"Come on, guys!" Aerrow called as he leapt up from his chair. The redhead sprinted through the now empty dance hall towards the front doors with Radarr clinging to his shoulders. "Let's get going!"

"What, NOW?!" Finn exclaimed. "It's two in the morning, man! No sensible girl will be awake at this hour! Hey, get back here!"

While the blonde chased after the lovesick Sky Knight, Junko wandered back to the refreshment table. There was only a quarter of the food left from before the ball, mostly thanks to said wallop. Junko reached down to the table, grabbed a plate, and began loading it up for his thirtieth helping.

**Sorry, this chapter might be a little rushed. Felt like it to me. If Aerrow seems OOC on any level, so sorry. Love made him do it. Anyway, five reviews to see what happens next! Review!  
**


	7. After the Ball

**After the Ball**

"Hello, we're home!" Ravess announced as she, her sister, and their father strode into the entrance hall. Piperella poked her head through the kitchen door to view the new arrivals. She had been sorting cooking crystals for the next day's breakfast and her fingers were slightly charred.

Dark Ace merely gave a bad-tempered grunt of acknowledgement to her and trudged up the stairs to his room. Aerrow's presence had had an affect on even his popularity, and he had only managed to convince one lady to dance with him that night, leaving him in a foul mood.

"Good evening," Piperella greeted her stepsisters politely. "How was the Sky Knights' Ball?"

"It was wonderful!" Cyclonis cried, sitting on the large white stairwell. "We saw Aerrow, the top Sky Knight. He really IS handsome, you know!"

"Did you get to talk to him?" Piperella questioned casually, leaning against the kitchen door frame. She had to turn her face from her stepsisters slightly so that they couldn't see her knowing grin.

"No," Ravess sighed, taking a seat next to her sister. "We only got to see him. But all I need to know is that he's as good-looking as they say."

"There's a rumour going around that he was seen asking a girl to dance," Cyclonis remarked. "She was so beautiful! Her gown was marvelous, her crystal necklace was extraordinary, and her hair was simply fantastic."

"I hate her so much," Ravess growled, resting her cheek on her fist.

"Me too," her sister agreed grumpily, copying the gesture.

Piperella was fighting the urge to burst into a fit of giggles. If only her stepsisters knew that she had been the belle of the Sky Knights' Ball.

"Well, I'm off to bed," Ravess yawned, putting a hand over her mouth. "Have my hot water ready in the morning as usual, Piperella."

"Mine as well, Piperella!" Cyclonis added, skipping up the stairs to join her older sister.

"Good night," Piperella called after them as she heard the doors to their rooms slam one after the other. The dark-skinned girl then hurried into the kitchen, shut the door carefully behind her and let out the long chorus of guffaws she had been containing.

The elated girl walked over to the crystals she had been sifting through and beared the weight of her task once more, giving out a gleeful hiccup every now and then. The night had been so marvelous to her. Piperella's gloating thoughts directed towards her stepsisters suddenly switched over to memories of dancing with Aerrow.

Aerrow. The dark-skinned girl wondered if she would ever see the redhead again. He had been so charming, and handsome, and Piperella had stared deep into his eyes like he had hers. She had learned from her gazing that the boy was sincere, affectionate, loyal, brave, and had all of the talents of a proper Sky Knight. Indeed, he seemed almost perfect.

Keyword: almost. The only problem with Aerrow was that Piperella felt she would never have a re-encounter him. That made the sweet girl feel so sad to think that the boy who appeared to be her one true love was unreachable, thus unattainable, therefore desirable all the more.

Piperella sighed a sigh filled with happiness and gloom. Happiness for her wonderful evening, gloom for her new realization. Her fingers released the cooking crystal she had been clutching and it clattered lightly to the counter. She turned to the window to see the moon was full and beautiful in the starry night. The light didn't affect Piperella's mood, though. She was still devestated despite the gentle lunar glow that most would find comforting.

The dark-skinned girl felt sudden exhaustion overtake her. She slouched over slightly, experiencing abrupt lethargy. Piperella then forced herself to walk the few feet to reach her pile of straw on the floor and collapse. The servant girl curled into a tight ball, resting her head on the highest lump of her scratchy bedding she could find.

Piperella then drifted off to dreamland with fantasies of her and the Sky Knight she loved on the dance floor again. She smiled to herself in her sleep and whispered, "Aerrow."

- - - - - - - - -

The next morning, Piperella was bustling around the kitchen as usual, preparing breakfast for her stepfamily. The impatient trio awaited her in the dining room, ringing the brass service bell as loudly as they could to emphasize their hunger.

_"Piperella!"_ she heard Cyclonis holler as she scooped a pan of bacon onto a plate. "Hurry up, before we starve to death!"

"Coming, Cyclonis, coming!" her stepsister called back, tossing an egg onto another dish to join a dozen others.

Piperella carefully placed her two platters onto a silver tray. She then balanced the tray with one hand, carrying another one in her other hand with a pitcher of juice and three cups with experienced ease. The kind girl then slowly made her way into the dining room to serve her stepfamily.

". . . says he's looking for a girl," the Dark Ace was telling his daughters as his enlarged red eyes scanned an official looking document over small reading glasses balanced on the bridge of his nose. "Aerrow is issuing a forewarning that he is searching for the young lady he danced with last night."

_Crash!_

At her stepfather's words, Piperella was so shocked that she lost her grip on both of her trays. They then clattered to the floor, smashing the dishes that had been laden upon them.

"Piperella!" Ravess scolded her with a glare. "That was our breakfast!"

"Terribly sorry, Ravess," the dark-skinned girl apologized without emotion. She didn't care about anything except for the information spewing forth from her stepfather's mouth.

"As I was saying," the Dark Ace continued, frowning at his stepdaughter's interruption. "Aerrow shall be visiting all of the houses in the land that have females who went to the Sky Knights' Ball yesterday evening. He tells us that his dream girl left behind a steel-toed boot before she fled the academy.

"Aerrow and his friends will be fitting that boot on the foot of every young lady that they drop in on. Huh!" he snorted, throwing the notice down on the table as he removed his glasses. "Can you imagine that? I guess that means that the boy will be coming here today."

Before he could say any more, Cyclonus and Ravess shrieked with excitement and zipped out of the dining room, presumably to prepare themselves for the Sky Knight. Their father merely sighed to himself, muttering about crazy teenagers as he exited the room.

That left Piperella to try and remove all of the dish shards from the carpet. She was still utterly moved by Aerrow's persistence to find her. The dark-skinned girl couldn't help it; she squealed quietly to herself. She was so thrilled to have the redhead look for her.

That is, she was thrilled until a thought hit her. The Sky Knight had seen her wearing a beautiful dress with a necklace and her hair down. He wouldn't recognize Piperella in her rags, free of any jewels and her midnight blue locks in her headband.

Piperella growled with frustration. For many years, she had been taking the crud her stepfamily had thrown at her. During those years, a dark and resentful storm had built up in Piperella's heart. That storm was made of hatred, annoyance, and the desire for vengeance, all directed at her stepfather and -sisters.

The chance to get back at all three of them was staring her right in the face. If Piperella revealed her true identity to Aerrow, she knew they would marry, infuriating her stepfamily and allowing her to be with her one true love. The dark-skinned girl knew what she had to do; she had to try on the boot. Being the intelligent girl she was, Piperella's mind was already working on a plan to reach her goal.

"This is going to be fun," Piperella whispered menacingly to herself.

**Be afraid. Be very afraid. What exactly is Piperella's plan, you ask? To find out, contribute to the quantity of reviews that must reach five! Translation: review!**


	8. The Shoe Crew

**The Shoe Crew**

"I'm so sorry, Miss," Aerrow told the girl who's feet he crouched at. "But this is not your boot."

The young lady burst into tears at the redhead's words and threw herself into the arms of the nearest person; Finn.

"There, there," he soothed her, patting the girl's back. "You've still got me."

Aerrow rolled his green eyes when the two weren't looking. Actually, he wasn't sorry one little bit that she wasn't the one. He had stared intently into her blue eyes, but the orange-haired female was a cruel person. The Sky Knight had seen the way she had treated her servants, slapping a maid severely when she had brought her the wrong flavour of tea.

Finn, as indicated, was loving the Shoe Crew. Each girl who had been unaccepted, meaning all of them, had cried hysterically when the steel-toed boot hadn't fit her. The blonde boy was always there to comfort the rejects, holding them close and whispering calming words. He was really milking it.

"Come on, Romeo," Aerrow hissed irritably, grabbing his friend by the collar and hauling him away from the distressed damsel.

The two trudged out of the living room and into the entrance hall, where Junko and Radarr awaited them. The wallop and blue creature had already fitted the steel-toed boot on a lady in the building, who had also not been 'the one'.

"Any luck?" Junko inquired hopefully. They still had a lot of houses to hit and his stomach was starting to rumble. The sad shake of Aerrow's head was his silent reply.

"Let's go, guys," the redhead commanded, leading the way out of the mansion as he carefully carried the steel-toed boot made for the left foot.

The three boys and Radarr tiredly climbed onto their skimmers, exhausted from all of the searching. But despite his lack of stamina, Aerrow was full of determination. He had to find that girl, or his life would never be complete. The Shoe Crew departed the small terra and flew over to the next one that was just inside of Cyclonian territory.

This terra had a giant mansion placed on it within a forest of lush trees. When the quartet skidded to a halt on the grass, a set of curtains on the ground floor of the grand house opened slightly. The boys saw a pair of golden eyes before they disappeared behind the drapes once more.

"Nice place," Finn remarked, gazing approvingly at the mansion. "I bet some seriously rich girls live here."

"Yeah!" Junko agreed, licking his lips. "They probably have awesome cooks, too!"

The wallop and the blonde raced ahead of Aerrow and Radarr as they dismounted from their skimmer. The two quickly sprinted down the forest trail, following their excited friends.

When the Shoe Crew had assembled at the front door, Aerrow took a hold of the gold knocker and banged it three times. Almost immediately, a dark-skinned maid opened it wide. Can you guess who that is?

- - - - - - - - -

When Piperella swung the door open, her plan was fully prepared for action. Her scheme launched into motion the second she saw the boys. She had to play the part of a quiet servant . . . for awhile.

"Hello," Aerrow greeted her kindly, unaware of who he was speaking to. "Are there any young ladies who attended the ball last night living here?"

"Yes, sirs," Piperella squeaked timidly, curtseying to the Shoe Crew. "I shall fetch them for you, sirs."

The cunning girl then scurried up the stairs, down the hall, and rapped on her stepsisters' doors one after the other.

"Ravess," she called. "Cyclonis! Aerrow is here."

Before she could say anything else, Piperella's two stepsisters flung open their doors into her face and pushed past her. The two then raced down the grand staircase when they reached it.

Phase one, complete. Phase two, commence.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Why, hello, Aerrow!" the girl who had introduced herself as Ravess fawned, batting her eyelashes in what she though to be a seductive way. "Are you ready for the fitting?"

"Yes, miss," the Sky Knight replied simply, fighting not to bring up his breakfast. Ravess and her sister creeped him out. Seriously.

After the two sisters came the dark-skinned maid that had let them in. She had her hands clasped before her and was staring at her shoes, as if she were trying to look as invisible as possible. Knowing this as normal behaviour for a servant, Aerrow didn't give her much heed. Cyclonis, on the other hand, did.

"You!" she hissed, sending a glare at the maid. "What are you doing here?!"

"I'm so sorry," the addressed girl apologized quietly. "But as I am positive one of you two lovely ladies will fit the steel-toed boot, I have to be here to witness it."

"Who is this?" the redhead questioned curiously, gazing at the shy girl with interest. At his inquisitive stare, the maid's eyes flickered quickly to the floor.

"Piperella," Ravess answered boredly. "Our stepsister."

"Your stepsister?! " Aerrow asked incredulously, looking back and forth between Piperella and her stepsiblings. Being a Sky Knight, this caught his attention in the wrong way. "But you treat her like a maid!"

Cyclonis laughed in a very fake manner, waving an airy hand. "You're too concerned about the world!" she said carelessly. "Our stepsister volunteers to work around the house like she does."

"Oh, really?" Aerrow asked, not buying it as he raised an unconvinced eyebrow.

"But enough about her!" Ravess cut in impatiently, trying to change the subject. "Let's try on this boot, shall we?"

Aerrow threw one last questioning look at Piperella before nodding flatly. Ravess placed herself on the bottom stair as Cyclonis took a seat next to her. Junko stepped up to the magenta-haired girl and accepted the boot Aerrow handed to him. The wallop then carefully tried to slide the shoe onto the left leg that the girl offered him.

But halfway up Ravess's thigh, the steel-toed boot wouldn't push any further. It appeared that her leg was too thick to fit the boot properly.

"So sorry," the wallop intoned sincerely. No, it wasn't because he had liked the girl. It was the fact that if it had been a match, they could have stopped for lunch. "Finn! Your turn."

Said blonde came forward, claimed the steel-toed boot held out for him, and stooped to Cyclonis's level of eyesight. Finn began to shove the shoe up her leg cautiously, as if she were a venomous creature about to lash out at him.

Even though the blonde had low standards, he did have some pride. Finn wasn't looking forward to the possibility of comforting this girl.

But his attempts to be gentle were in vain, for Cyclonis raised her fist and bashed him promptly on the head.

"You twit!" she snarled at him, snatching up the boot from the dizzy blonde's hand. "Must you have sent the stupidest boy in the land to put this on my foot? I'll do it myself!"

Cyclonis slipped her foot into the steel-toed boot swiftly, as if trying to get it over with. But like her sister's, the violet-eyed girl's leg was too wide to fit into such a slim boot.

"It appears this is not your boot, either," Aerrow sighed, unable to keep the thankful tone out of his voice.

While everyone was preoccupied with the fitting, Piperella had slipped out of the entrance hall and into the kitchen. She had snagged a red hot cooking crystal from the supply beneath the oven before stealthily making her way back to the Shoe Crew and her stepsisters.

The dark-skinned girl then casually shuffled to the bottom of the staircase, where Cyclonis, who had ignored Aerrow's comment, was still trying to force the boot onto herself. Piperella then dropped her cooking crystal at Ravess's feet where it immediately burst into flame.

"FIRE!" Ravess screeched as she attempted to beat the blaze away. The embers crawled across the material of her skirt and licked at the hem of Cyclonis's dress, who in turn screamed. The two sisters jumped up from the stairs, stomping at the fire that continued to slowly grow on their soft fabrics.

Finn and Junko shrieked before quickly running from the flames and hiding behind Aerrow. Radarr shot up the redhead's leg and clutched at his shoulder, using the Sky Knight as a shield. Aerrow himself was backing away from the fire.

Piperella seemed to be the only one with a cool head in the situation. She produced a blue crystal from her pocket and threw at it Cyclonis, who barely caught it in her panic.

"Go to the kitchen and set off the crystal! Quickly!" Piperella ordered her stepsisters. Without another word, the flaming pair pushed past the Shoe Crew and hurtled towards the kitchen, leaving their stepsister with the boys.

"Phew," Finn breathed, wiping beads of sweat away from his forehead. "Good thing none of us panicked."

Aerrow merely shot his friend a skeptic look before turning to Piperella, who had transformed from the skittish maid into the calm heroine. "What was that?" he questioned.

"Water crystal," she stated, brushing a spot of ash off of her skirt. "No big deal."

"But what started the fire?" Junko wondered, voicing the thoughts of the Shoe Crew.

"Their clothing was highly flammable," Piperella fibbed, shrugging offhandedly. "Anything could have done it."

"So," Finn cut in, smoothing back his hair with one hand as he stepped up to Piperella. "You come here often?"

The dark-skinned girl merely rolled her eyes at the blonde's sad attempts to be suave and ignored him.

Radarr, who had pried himself from Aerrow shoulder after Cyclonis and Ravess had left, was cautiously approaching Piperella for a better look. Judging by the fact that the other females in the house were so mean, he didn't know how this one would react to him.

When the blue creature arrived at her feet, Piperella crouched down and held out a hand to him. "Hey, there, little guy," she cooed softly to Radarr as he sniffed her.

Suddenly, Aerrow's co-pilot's ears shot straight up into the air. He recognized that scent.

Cinnamon.

_She was the one._

**Radarr's onto something! Sorry if Piperella's plot wasn't that sinister. It was the best I could come up with. I had to write this chapter a few times, so I struggled with it a bit. This update was a bit longer than the others. Sorry, I couldn't find a good cut-off in the middle.  
**

**Want to find out what happens next? Well, don't just sit there reading this! Review! Five more for the next chapter!**


	9. Phase Three

**Phase Three**

Radarr let out a squawk of excitement as he pressed his cold nose into Piperella's dark hand to check her scent once more. Still cinnamon. The blue creature threw his arms around her neck for an instant in pure delight. He then drew away from the kind girl and did a little dance of joy in the centre of the entrance hall.

"What is it, Radarr?" Aerrow questioned as his co-pilot scurried up onto his shoulder. The blue creature gripped the back of the boy's head with both of his hands and swiveled it towards Piperella, who was hiding a smile of triumph. All was going according to plan.

Radarr shook the redhead forcefully as he turned his head to make his yellow eyes bore into the Sky Knight's green ones, trying to make him understand. He let out a screech of frustration as the boy merely shot him a quizzical look. How could he not comprehend something so important?!

"I think he's trying to tell us something," Junko stated slowly as he observed the display along with Finn.

Radarr growled as he released Aerrow and jumped to the ground. He then directed a finger at Piperella, squawking all the while to help his friend understand. But apparently, the redhead still didn't get it.

The blue creature slapped his forehead with disbelief. Aerrow could be so dense.

Radarr then changed tact. He gestured to the boot clutched in Aerrow's hand, then to Piperella, who was struggling to keep a mask of confusion upon her face. The blue creature didn't think he could possibly get his point across in a clearer way.

"Maybe he would like me to try on the boot," Piperella suggested. Radarr tapped his nose to deem her guess correct.

"Sure," Aerrow shrugged. "Why not."

Piperella plopped down on the bottom step of the staircase as Aerrow stooped down next to her. But before the Sky Knight could do anything, a sopping wet Ravess and Cyclonis burst into the room, shivering slightly from the cold liquid.

"You did this!" Ravess screeched, pointing an accusing finger at her stepsister as Cyclonis nodded angrily with agreement.

"Did what?" Piperella inquired innocently. "Helped you douse the fire?"

"You know very well what you did!" Cyclonis thundered, almost glaring a hole through the dark-skinned girl's head.

"Whatever are you talking about?" Piperella asked, keeping her clueless act going. "I think you two are slightly waterlogged in the head."

Her two stepsisters merely shot furious looks at Piperella before stomping up the stairs to their rooms. Thankfully, they were so outraged that they hadn't seen what Aerrow had been preparing to do.

The redhead was about to try the boot on her left foot once more, when a large light blue puff of crystal dust appeared out of nowhere beside the two. The aqua smoke faded away to reveal Piperella's Merbian Godfather, who had a horrified look on his face.

"Don't you DARE put that boot on her foot!" he barked, brandishing his trademarked crystal at a stunned Aerrow. "Thousands of foot-related GERMS must be crawling around on that from all of the people who've tried it on!" And with that, the Merbian Godfather used his light blue crystal to blast away the steel-toed boot before vanishing into thin air.

"NO!" Junko cried with despair as he dropped to his knees. "Now we can never stop for lunch!"

Aerrow was even more regretful. His face was one of disappointment and sadness overwhelmed him. "I'll never find her now!" he groaned as he brought his head down on the closest surface, which just happened to be Piperella's lap.

Piperella was not fazed by the disappearance of the boot. It was an unexpected part of the plan, but it wasn't necessarily a problem.

"There, there," she soothed him, stroking the Sky Knight's red hair. "I know what will make everything better."

"Nothing will make things better," he moaned gloomily, not resisting her comforting gesture.

"But you see," Piperella continued, reaching into her pocket. "I have the other boot."

Everyone (except Radarr and Piperella) gasped as the dark-skinned girl produced the steel-toed boot for the right foot. She handed it to Aerrow, who was too stunned to do anything but gape before Radarr gave him a hard nudge.

Coming back to his senses, the redhead carefully slipped the boot onto the correct foot.

It was a perfect fit.

**Okay, I'm slightly ashamed of this chapter. Not because of the content itself, but the length. Sorry, I couldn't think of a way to draw it out more. Anyway, I'm sad to say there's only the epilogue left after this. But I need to see five more reviews before you see it! So review!**


	10. Happily Ever After

**Happily Ever After**

When Aerrow discovered that Piperella was his one true love from the ball, he immediately proposed to her, and she eagerly accepted. Their unity was known throughout all the lands. Everyone in the Atmos was invited to the ceremony . . . well, almost everyone.

The Dark Ace, Ravess, and Cyclonis found they were not on the invitation list when they tried to get into the wedding, and were quickly thrown out of it by the ushers, who were the same ones who had worked at the Sky Knights' Ball.

The Merbian Godfather's early wedding gift to the bride was the dress and crystal necklace she had worn on the night of the ball. When he had gone back to the rental shop and told them who they were for, the guys working there let him have them for free. Piperella was extremely grateful for that and showed it by planting a kiss on his cheek, which did not have the results she was aiming for when he screamed and headed for the nearest bottle of disinfectant. But since Piperella didn't trust the merb's choice of footwear after the whole 'steel-toed boot thing', she decided to accompany him on his quest for suitable shoes for her on the event.

Junko, Finn, and Radarr were all Aerrow's groomsmen for the occasion. Finn was the best man, and Radarr doubled as the ring bearer. And yet again, Piperella's Merbian Godfather lended a hand when he whipped up three bridesmaids for her with a trio of ruby red crystals. Of course, Finn being Finn, hit on all of the crystal girls the day he saw them, and, Finn still being Finn, was promptly rejected one after another.

Since her real father nor her stepfather were in attendance for the wedding, Piperella convinced her Merbian Godfather to escort her down the aisle for the ceremony. She eventually told Aerrow all about the merb, and the Sky Knight was very thankful towards him. Out of gratitude, Aerrow tracked down the Merbain Godfather's boss and worked out a promotion and a raise for him after informing her of the happiness the Merbian Godfather helped to make.

On the day of the wedding, Piperella looked as marvelous as she had at the Sky Knight's Ball, wearing everything she had then, excluding the steel-toed boots. She had substituted dark blue high heels for the heavy footwear, which her Merbian Godfather heartily disapproved of, saying it could only end in her inevitable doom. But of course, the merb's words went unheeded.

By that time, Aerrow had steeled himself slightly against her beauty so that he wouldn't fall into any more stupors, but it still took much self-control not to gape as she strode down the aisle on the arm of her Merbian Godfather. Said merb had even dressed up for the occasion, clad in a dark green tux and matching bow tie.

At the outdoor wedding, everyone hooted and wolf-whistled at Aerrow and Piperella's big kiss. Since said kiss was so passionate and full of finally satisfied desire, when the groom detached himself from his bride, he passed out. How embarrassing. But thankfully, Piperella swiftly caught the redhead in an embrace before he could hit the ground and nobody noticed. Well, no one except for Finn, that is, who was sure to remind him about it for the rest of his life.

Junko was crying his eyes out during the entire ceremony, since it was just so darned romantic. He was so glad for the happy couple that he pulled them both into a bone-crushing hug at the reception, tearing up all the while. But the wallop immediately sobered when he saw the huge buffet table there, courtesy of the newly promoted Merbian Godfather.

This story truly had a happily ever after for everyone.

Piperella escaped from her horrible stepfamily and was reunited with her one true love, so she was happy.

Aerrow finally found his dream girl and spent the rest of his life with her, so he was happy.

Junko was hooked up with reservations for the greatest restaurants in the Atmos, thanks to his friendships with Aerrow and Piperella, so he was happy.

The Merbian Godfather was given enough of a raise to buy TinhatCo, the best anti-mindworm helmet supplier around, so he was happy.

But out of all of the people in this story, Finn and Radarr must have been the happiest of them all.

For during the wedding reception, Aerrow and Piperella finally gave them credit for their introduction, in writing.

So you see, they all lived happily ever after.

Well, except for the Dark Ace, Ravess, and Cyclonis, who were forced to toil in their own house and do all of the nasty chores that Piperella had done for them.

**The End**

**I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone one of my loyal reviewers, you guys are awesome! I'm happy to deem this story a success! Once again, thank you very much for taking the time to read 'Piperella'! Sorry if this last chapter isn't part of the traditional Cinderella story very much, just needed some meat on the bones.  
**


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